The Strokes perform 'Falling Out of Love' on Colbert's Late Show ahead of new album

A cool send-off for Colbert

The Strokes made their Late Show debut on Thursday, May 14, performing 'Falling Out of Love' as part of the final stretch of episodes before CBS ends the program. According to Billboard, the band set up individual stages for each member, outlined with lasers and backed by stock imagery of American small towns and landscapes. Julian Casablancas led the performance with the track's heavily Auto-tuned vocals, which have become a talking point since the song surfaced.

The second piece of Reality Awaits

'Falling Out of Love' is the second single from the band's forthcoming seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, due June 26. It follows 'Going Shopping,' the lead single. The record was recorded in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin and completed in studios around the world. It will be their first album since The New Abnormal in 2020.

A tour to match

The band's Reality Awaits 2026 tour kicks off June 12 at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee and closes September 20 at Sea.Hear.Now Festival in New Jersey. The run then extends to the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America, and Japan, with stops including London's The O2, Paris' Accor Arena, Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome, and multiple nights at Red Rocks. Support acts include Thundercat, Cage the Elephant, Hamilton Leithauser, Fat White Family, and Geordie Greep, among others.

The end of an era

The Strokes joined an impressive list of final guests on the show, which CBS is shutting down for what the network has called a purely financial reason. Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, President Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, and a reunion of late-night hosts including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are also part of the farewell lineup. The series finale airs May 21 on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.